Share This Story!

Letter: The attack on science

Trump adviser Steven Miller, in his recent news conference on Trump’s proposed immigration changes, cited one reason for the change was to allow for the entrance of more skilled workers, mentioning specifically scientists.

Letter: The attack on science

Trump adviser Steven Miller, in his recent news conference on Trump’s proposed immigration changes, cited one reason for the change was to allow for the entrance of more skilled workers, mentioning specifically scientists. This explanation is incredibly ironic given Trump’s disdain, if not outright contempt, for science and scientists.

For example, consider his remarks on vaccination and exercise. He has made the absurd contentions that childhood vaccination leads to autism and that exercise is harmful, because of the body’s finite energy supply. Both of these claims have been thoroughly debunked by scientists.

On a more serious level, is his denial of the reality of human-caused climate change, despite the overwhelming evidence. His appointment of Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency and Rick Perry as Secretary of Energy further demonstrate his rejection of science, as both of them dispute the proven science that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and that its increased level in the atmosphere is leading to global warming.

Given the above, if I were a foreign scientist thinking about immigrating to the United States, I might think about staying where I am until science and scientists are given the credit and respect they deserve in the United States.

A more detailed analysis of the attacks on science can be found at the web site of The Union of Concerned Scientists, www.ucsusa.org